Here are some tips for those of you who decided to celebrate Independence Day locally.

Metrorail
Trains will operate from 7 a.m. Saturday to 3 a.m. Sunday. The service will come close to peak-period levels from 4 p.m. to midnight, when most people head out in search of fireworks, then return home.

Trains will run on their usual routes on all five rail lines. For the first time in many years, the Smithsonian Station will be open. But it will be designated as exit-only from 6 p.m. until the start of the fireworks, shortly after 9 p.m., and entry-only from about 9:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Metrorail travel advice is similar to what many of you remember from Inauguration Day: Try to avoid transferring from line to line, because of the crowding in transfer stations like Metro Center, Gallery Place and L'Enfant Plaza. Instead, walk a few blocks to the Mall. Make sure you have a round-trip fare in the way in, so you don't have to wait in a long line on the way out.

Take Metro rather than trying to drive around closed streets downtown or the big crowds walking toward the festivities. There will be free parking for nearly 60,000 cars at Metro lots and garages regionwide.

Metro doesn't plan to be doing any track maintenance this weekend, so no delays on that account.

Metrobus
The buses will be on a Saturday schedule, but some that travel near the Mall will be detoured. These routes are affected: 13, 32, 34, 36, 52, 54, 64, 70, A42, A46, A48, P6, S2, S4, V8, D6, and F4.

Also, the 4H, 7A, 13G, 16B, 16E, 16G, 16J, 16K lines will be detoured near the Pentagon and Rosslyn stations, but will have access to the stations.

You may be anxious to experiment with the Next Bus real-time information system, which returns to service today, but its computer brain won't reflect all these detours.

Baseball
There's a game Saturday at 1:05 p.m. against the Atlanta Braves at Nationals Park, near South Capitol and M streets. That will mean some crowding at the Navy Yard Metrorail station and along the Green Line.

SoberRide
For those who over-celebrate, the SoberRide program will be in operation from 4 p.m. Saturday to 4 a.m.Sunday to keep the streets free of of impaired drivers. Adults can call the toll-free SoberRide phone number, 800-200-TAXI, and get a no-cost (up to a $50 fare) ride home. SoberRide is available in the District, Montgomery and Prince George's counties, and Arlington, Fairfax, eastern Loudoun and Prince William counties.